Doomverse: Batman: World's Greatest Detective
Batman: World's Greatest Detective is the first solo film in the Batman film series featuring Milo Ventimiglia as Batman. Months after Jason Todd was killed by the Joker, Batman has to go up against the Riddler who has broken out of Arkham and plans on testing the world's greatest detective to his limit. It is part of the Doomverse. Plot Complete darkness is broken up with flashes of Bruce's parents being shot, Bruce training, the Joker laughing, the Joker standing over Robin's corpse, Batman carrying Jason's limp body in his arms. While these flashes are seen, someone repeatedly says Bruce. Bruce is sitting in front of the Batcomputer in the Batsuit minus the cowl, his head in his hands. Nightwing is standing beside him. "Bruce, it wasn't your fault. No-one could have know that the Joker wasn't bluffing." Bruce replies with "No, but I should have stopped him." Nightwing tells him that he can't save everyone. Bruce replies that Jason depended on him and that he let that monster kill him. He then asks where the Joker is now. Nightwing removes his mask and says "locked away, deep inside Arkham." He tells Bruce that he can't beat himself up over this. He then says that he has to go, he's needed in Bludhaven but if Bruce needs his help he'll be right there by his side. Bruce simply asks him why he’s even there, recalling him saying “I wasn’t going to be the boy wonder forever, I need to move on.” Nightwing then leaves, knowing Bruce is angry at himself more than he is at Nightwing. On his way out Alfred asks Dick how Bruce is doing, Dick replies that he isn’t doing great and that Alfred should call him if Bruce needs help. Months pass, Bruce barely leaves Wayne Manor, keeping an eye out for the batsignal. While he sleeps he dreams of his parents’ death, of Dick leaving to become Nightwing, and the Joker bludgeoning Jason to death, Bruce screaming “JASON!” while the Joker laughs maniacally. The doorbell rings and Alfred answers, Julie Madison waits in the doorway, wanting to see Bruce. Alfred thinks about turning her away but she is very persistent and Alfred thinks she might be able to talk him into getting past this. She goes and speaks to him, he puts on a front blaming his rough appearance on some wild parties, but something she says to him gets through, she tells him about some mob interference at a party that she was at. He asks what club and she says the Iceberg Lounge. Bruce asks her if she wants to go there with him tonight, saying the mob won’t hit the same place twice in the same week, she agrees to go with him, calling it a classy establishment. Bruce and Julie go to the Iceberg Lounge and get invited to sit with Oswald Cobblepot, aka The Penguin. At the table, Cobblepot frequently mentions how the Cobblepots and Waynes have a long history together, their ancestors having built this town along with the Elliots and Kanes. Bruce just smiles and nods, throwing in a comment about wondering what Oswald’s ancestors would think about his dealings with the mob. Cobblepot’s hand tightens on his umbrella and he looks angry. Remembering where he is he starts laughing and retorts with a similar comment about Bruce spending his money on fast cars and picking up the ladies. The group laugh as Raven and Lark bring drinks to the table. Suddenly, the front door is blown off its hinges, a gang rushing in wearing a variety of masks, in the middle of the gang is Black Mask, yelling furiously for The Penguin. Bossworth and Jay move in to protect their boss, the Penguin. Bruce grabs Julie’s hand and leads her out the back, Alfred is waiting outside, Bruce tells Alfred to take Julie anywhere she wants then frisks himself and claims to have left his wallet inside, going to the Batmobile and changing into his Batman suit while Alfred takes Julie away despite her arguments, wanting to wait for Bruce. Inside the Iceberg Lounge, Penguin and Black Mask argue, Black Mask claiming that the Penguin had some of his men killed and intercepted a delivery, Black Mask wants either his merchandise back or enough money to cover his losses. The Penguin refuses saying that Black Mask has no proof that it was him. Black Mask points to Raven and claims that she led the attack. Raven plays the innocent but Black Mask holds a gun to her head which is promptly knocked from his hand by a batarang. The lights go out in the club. Black Mask yells that this has nothing to do with Batman, Batman starts taking out Black Mask’s men through the shadows, the lights coming back on revealing Black Mask to be the only man left standing, still holding onto Raven. He yells “So you work with the Penguin now, Batman?” To which Batman replies “I work with no-one. Not anymore.” Black Mask laughs as he reaches for his second gun saying how he’d heard that the Joker had killed Batman’s sidekick, Robin. As he laughs there is something that comes out of nowhere, hitting him in the face, the batclaw, suddenly wrenched back towards its source. As Black Mask stumbles forward Batman steps out of the shadows and punches Black Mask in the face, knocking him to the floor unconscious. Next we see Batman outside talking to Commissioner Gordon who tells Batman that they don’t have anything on Cobblepot but they can put Sionis away. Batman hands Gordon a note, stating he found it on one of Black Mask’s men. On the back of the note is a big green question mark. Gordon mutters “The Riddler… You think he set Black Mask up?” but when he turns Batman is gone. Gordon tells Harvey Bullock to make sure Black Mask and his False Face Society made it to their respective holding cells, the Society going to Blackgate Penitentiary and Black Mask to Arkham Asylum. He then asks Renee Montoya to find out the whereabouts of Edward Nygma. Batman is doing the same, driving the Batmobile, he asks Alfred to tell him if there have been any reports of the Riddler breaking out of Arkham. Alfred informs Batman that nothing has been reported. Batman goes to Arkham Asylum where he is let in by Aaron Cash and led to Edward Nygma’s cell. Cash tells Batman to stay in the shadows because Dr. Arkham doesn’t like him coming there; he also says that he thought Batman would be there for the Joker rather than the Riddler. Batman tells him the Joker is where he belongs. Cash opens the Riddler’s cell, the walls are covered with question marks and riddles. Mr. Freeze, in the cell opposite The Riddler’s, tells Batman and Cash that “Eddie hasn’t been with us for quite some time.” Cash is shocked and confused claiming the security camera is still showing footage of Nygma in his cell. Batman turns his attention to Mr. Freeze, suitless and in an icy cell, demanding to know how and when Nygma escaped and for what purpose. Mr. Freeze answers the first two but can’t help on the final question. Victor requests to see Nora in return for his co-operation but Batman is gone. Cash responds with "One day, Vic. One day. When you've got all the psycho outta your system." Cuts back to Batman in the Batmobile, contacting "Penny One." Shows Alfred in the Batcave who alerts Batman to an incoming breaking news bulletin. The screen is completely black "This is Vicki Vale bringing you some Breaking News... Is what Ms. Vale would be saying if she wasn't indisposed." The screen reveals Riddler. "Now, Batman, I know you're watching this, so you better listen and listen good because here's your first clue and Gotham's favorite news anchor's life depends on you to solve it. I’ll start you off with an easy one as I’m feeling generous." The Riddler then announces his first riddle “Gold flocked to this place, a lamb to the slaughter, paid with his life in place of his daughter. Where am I?” Alfred then contacts Batman again and Bruce tells him that Gold refers to Cyrus Gold who was killed when he tried to kill the mother of his child for trying to blackmail him from the Solomon Grundy horror story and therefore the answer is Slaughter Swamp and he was already on his way, instructing Penny One to dispatch the Batplane which, Alfred informs Bruce, is already on its way to Batman. Batman parks the Batmobile and grapples onto the Batwing and flies to the swamp. He initiates a thermal scan, trying to pinpoint where in the swamp Vicki and Riddler are. Finding nothing, Batman flicks through other scanners until a giant question mark becomes visible, Batman glides out and lands on the dot of the question mark finding a box with a question mark upon it. Back in the Batcave, Batman is analysing a chunk of wood at the Batcomputer. He tells Alfred that the Swamp was just Riddler testing to see if he was willing to “play”. He knew the riddle was far too easy to solve as anyone who knew the tale of Solomon Grundy would be able to solve it in minutes. Open beside him is a note with a second riddler printed upon it. “My apologies Batman, the first was misleading, but now that you’re here, this wood I am needing. Where is its source? Surely you know. Ms. Vale is dead, if you are too slow.” Alfred comes into the Batcave and tells Bruce that Barbara had been asking after him. Bruce reminds Alfred that he told Barbara to lay low not wanting a psychopath to go after her like they did Jason. Alfred is about to respond when a match appears on the screen. The wood is the same wood that the Ventriloquist’s dummy Scarface is sculpted from. “She’s at Blackgate.” Bruce pulls on the cowl and jumps into the Batboat and leaves the cave and Alfred behind. At Blackgate Penitentiary, the gallows have been reconstructed. Vicki Vale is bound and gagged with a wire around her neck - a wire that can't be cut as it will trigger an explosive if it is. Attached to the gallows there are three devices which each have a timer and a riddle to be solved, the bomb is set to trigger when Vicki gets hanged. Riddler's voice is suddenly broadcast through a speaker "Nice of you to join us Batman, I say us but I mean her. Do you like it? I had the Carpenter knock it up for me. Sorry I can't be there but rest assured I can see everything that's happening. This one is very simple Batman, if you can answer all four riddles within the time limit you save Ms. Vale's life. If not, well, it will get very messy. Good luck! You're going to need it." Batman rushes over to the first console and sees the timer counting down, giving him around half an hour. He reads the clue then suddenly turns and launches a batarang, knocking one of Riddler's men out instantly and he finds himself surrounded. He engages in combat with the henchmen while thinking over the first clue, trying to solve it while he fights to save precious time. Batman suddenly smashes one of the henchman's faces through the screen of the device and it powers down. Riddler's voice broadcasts again, "That's cheating Batman and for that I've cut the time in half. Fifteen minutes and counting, try to use your own head this time rather than one of my employees." Having dispatched Riddler's men, Batman turns his attention to the remaining devices. He works his way through a series of mathematics riddles with ease, disabling the second device moving onto the third. As he approaches the terminal he is shot point blank with a shotgun, the force of the bullet knocking him backwards. Echo and Query climb out of the third device, both carrying heavy firearms aimed straight at Batman. Echo unloads another shotgun round into Batman who recoils once more. Batman attempts to disarm them with his batrope but is shell-shocked from the shotguns and misses. Query picks up the end of the rope and the pair of henchmen begin wrapping it around Batman telling him they're going to make him watch Vicki die. Echo checks the timer on the device and the two of them leave to get outside of the blast radius, the trapdoor on the gallows beginning to open as Batman struggles against the batrope. Using the blades on his gauntlets, Batman cuts himself free and rushes over to the third device, answering the riddle and thinking he has stopped the trapdoor from opening thus stopping the hanging which would trigger the explosion. He approaches Vicki and she is dropped as the trapdoor opens anyway. Batman swiftly throws a batarang, cutting the noose and grabbing Vicki, being caught in the blast of the explosion. The Batsignal is lit for days but there is no sign of Batman. Bullock asks if he should turn it off but Gordon tells him to leave it. The Riddler's henchmen start robbing multiple business, houses and banks, leaving riddles and big green graffiti question marks in their wake. One particular group raids Leslie Thompkins' Medical Center, as they rummage and terrorize the patients, Nightwing steps in and fights them and is shortly joined by Renee Montoya. The pair immobilize the group of Riddler's men and Montoya as Nightwing where Batman is and if he will return. Batman emerges from the shadows and says "Yes." He's been undercover infiltrating the Riddler's gang to learn more about the Riddler's endgame. The Riddler couldn't know that he had survived. Vicki was hidden away in a safehouse so that the Riddler would believe he had won. Montoya goes to inform Gordon that Batman has returned while Batman and Nightwing batrope to the rooftops. Batman asks Dick what he's doing there. Nightwing tells Batman that Alfred contacted him and asked him to act as back up. Before Bruce can reply both Bruce and Dick get an audio message transmitted into their earpieces. "Batman?..." A female voice says. The duo recognize the voice as Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl. Batman starts to lecture her, telling her how he told her to stop because he couldn't be responsible for her if she were to get killed like Jason did. Batgirl doesn't reply. Instead the Riddler does. "Hello Batman, or should I call you... no. Not yet. Solve one more riddle and you win. I'll turn myself in. Who is the man behind the Bat?" Nightwing turns to Batman and asks Batman if Riddler could possibly know his secret identity. Batman looks to the sky and sees the Batsignal before he replies that he thinks Riddler was being more literal and that Commissioner Gordon could be in danger but just in case he asks Nightwing to go to Wayne Manor and make sure it is secure. He also promises Nightwing that he won't let Riddler hurt Batgirl. Batman jumps onto his Barcycle and speeds across Gotham, dodging in and out between cars until he reaches the Gotham City Police Headquarters where he is quickly knocked from the Batcycle by an onslaught of Uzi fire coming from the Riddler's men led by Echo and Query. They are fleeing in the back of a black van with green question marks painted on the side. Harvey Bullock helps Batman up and tells him that they took Jim. To be continued... Cast *Milo Ventimiglia as Bruce Wayne/Batman *Kelly Brook as Julie Madison *Terence Stamp as Alfred Pennyworth *Freddie Highmore as Richard "Dick" Grayson/Nightwing *Emma Roberts as Barbara "Babs" Gordon/Batgirl *Bryan Cranston as Commissioner James "Jim" Gordon *Ray Winstone as Lt. Harvey Bullock *Alice Braga as Det. Renee Montoya *Michael C. Hall as Edward Nygma/The Riddler *Philip Seymour Hoffman as Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin *Dominic West as Roman Sionis/Black Mask *Julia Styles as Lark *Olesya Rulin as Raven *Sienna Guillory as Jay *Nina Dobrev as Nina Damfino/Echo *Elisha Cuthbert as Deidre Vance/Query *Jamie Foxx as Aaron Cash *Maggie Grace as Victoria "Vicki" Vale *Alan Rickman as Dr. Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze *Michael Sheen as The Joker *Bruce Thomas as Thomas Wayne (dream/flashback) *Michelle Pfeiffer as Martha Wayne (dream/flashback) *Mackenzie Crook as Joseph "Joe Chill" Chilton (dream/flashback) *Ian Nelson as Jason Todd (dream/flashback) Trivia *Bruce Thomas, who portrays Thomas Wayne, portrayed Bruce Wayne/Batman in the 2002 Birds of Prey TV series. *Michelle Pfeiffer, who portrays Martha Wayne, portrayed Selina Kyle/Catwoman in the 1992 film Batman Returns. *Jeremiah Arkham is mentioned in the film. *The Ventriloquist's dummy "Scarface" cameos in an image on the Batcomputer. *The first riddle references the tale of Cyrus Gold aka Solomon Grundy. Gallery Bruce Wayne (Doomverse).jpg|Promotional Image of Milo Ventimiglia as Bruce Wayne. Batman: World's Greatest Detective